Apron with automatically adjustable belt



Oct. 20, 1953 P. R. SWEARJNGEN 2, 5 5

APRON WITH AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE BELT Filed Aug. 21, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmvrm Pa/ulRSweanIn qen BY ATTORNEYS Oct. 20, 1953 P. R. SWEARINGEN 55,65

APRON WITH AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE BELT Filed Aug. 21, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

PaulRSwewringen Patented Oct. 20, 1953 APRON WITH AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE BELT Paul R. Swearingen, Kensington, Ohio Application August 21, 1951, Serial No. 242,815

1 Claim. 1

The invention relates to aprons for men or women, and more particularly to a band apron, or waist apron, having an automatically adjustable belt or support.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apron of this character having a spring loaded belt, or support, detachably mounted within the waist band of the apron, whereby the support may be easily and quickly assembled to the apron for use and removed therefrom to permit laundering of the apron.

Another object is to provide an apron having a support or belt of this type, adapted to be extended and contracted and having means for causing the'same to automatically adjust itself to the waist line of the wearer, so as to avoid undue pressure or uncomfortable looseness, either of which is undesirable.

A further object is to provide a garment of this type in which the support or belt is formed of two substantially semi-circular spring wire memfbers, slidably interlaced together, with spring means associated therewith for causing the support to automatically adjust itself to the waist line of the wearer.

' A still further object is to provide such a garment which is shirred or gathered at the waist line, provided with a plurality of elastic threads or cords, to normally contract the same, there being an open-ended casing, or tubing, upon the inside of the waist line of the apron, through which the adjustable support is located, and closed pockets at opposite ends of the shirring to receive the ends of the adjustable support.

Another object is to provide an apron having an adjustable flexible support, or belt, composed of two similar sections of spring wire, slidably connected together to permit the same to be made larger or smaller to fit the person of the wearer, said sections having the inner end portions overlapped and slidably connected together by means of eyes or loops, spring means being interposed between said eyes or loops to normally urge the support toward contracted position.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawings or following description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved apron and support in the manner hereinafter described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a detached, perspective view of the adjustable flexible support; or belt, for the apron;

Fig. 2 a front perspective view of an apron embodying the invention, showing the same positioned upon a wearer;

2 Fig. 3 a similar view showing the rear of the apron;

Fig. 4 a detached, perspective view of one se tion of the adjustable support;

Fig. 5 an enlarged front elevation of the upper or waist band portion of the improved apron;

Fig. 6 a similar view, showing the interior of the upper or waist band portion of the apron;

Fig. 7 a section taken on the line 1-1, Fig. 6; and,

Fig. 8 a section taken on the line 88, Fig. 6.

Referring now more particularly to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout, the apron, indicated generally at It, may be formed of any suitable fabric, or plastic material of any desired pattern or design, and is provided at its upper end with the shirred or gathered waist band ll, having a plurality of elastic threads or cords I2 therein, for normally urging the shir-red waist band to contracted position.

Upon the inside of the waist band portion of the apron is located an open-ended casing or tubing l3, which may be formed of the same material as the apron and which is also shirred or gathered, as best shown in Fig; 6.

Also, upon the inner side of the apron, at each end of the waist band, is located a pocket 14, which may be formed of the same material as the apron and is also preferably shirred or gathered. These pockets are open at their inner ends as indicated at IS.

The adjustable support or belt for the apron, as best shown in Fig. 1, comprises two similar, substantially semi-circular sections I6 of spring wire. Each of the sections It has an eye or loop I! formed at one end, through which the other section [6 is slidably located.

For the purpose of normally urging the sections I6 of the support toward contracted position, spring means is provided between the eyes or loops [1 and, as shown in Fig, 1, may comprise a coil spring I8 located around one end portion of either section It, between the eyes or loops [1.

The other end of each section l6 of the support is bent upon itself in substantially U-shape, as indicated at [9, and may terminate in an eye or loop 20, so that there will be no sharp ends of the wire sections [6 to catch into the fabric or other material of the apron.

The adjustable support may be easily assembled upon the apron by slidably locating the support through the open-ended casing or tubing l3 of the apron and inserting the U-shape ends [9 of the two sections H; of the support into the apron will expand or contract as the adjustable support is extended or contracted by -means of the springs 18.

The adjustable support may be quickly and easily removed from the apron, when it is necessary to launder the same, and as above described,

may again be quickly and easil attached to the apron for use.

This type of apron support also provides a safety feature, in that the apron may be instantly removed, without the delay of untying apron strings or the like, in theevent of danger, such for instance as a plastic apron igniting by contact with a hot stove.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein'are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention-is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

In combination with an apron having a shirred band portion having elastic cords therein, an open-ended casing upon the inner side of the waist band portion of the apron and terminating at points spaced from opposite ends thereof, and pockets on the inner side of the apron adjacent to the open ends of the casing, a support located through said casing and comprising two substantially semi-circular spring wire sections, the inner end of each wire section forming an eye slidably mounted upon the other section, a coil spring located around one of-the wire sections between said eyes for normally urging the sections toward contracted position, the outer ends of the sections,

being bent backwardly upon themselves into U-shape and terminating in inwardly disposed closed loops, said U-shape portions being located in the pockets of the apron.

PAUL R. SWEARINGEN,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 796,695 Blake Aug, 8,1905 1,488,012 Little Mar. 25,1924 2,072,020 Barmon Feb. 23, 193'? 2,343,631 Bailey Mar. 7,194! 2,421,195 Goldsmith May 2'7; 194'! 

